Pick-up Lines
by Genril
Summary: When a night out turns into a conversation on pick-up lines. FLight oneshot.


**Pick-Up Lines**

* * *

Lightning's day at work had been as mundane as ever, much like her days prior to being a l'Cie, so when she finally set foot in her home it was a huge relief. In her head she hadn't planned to do much for the rest of the night other than run a bath, and treat herself to a glass of something. She stood outside the front door, fumbling with her keys, until the sound of laughter inside stopped her in her tracks. Lightning frowned, because Serah had moved out long ago and although she was still welcome round anytime, she wasn't expecting her. Lightning tested the door handle, and sure enough the door opened and someone was home.

'Serah?' Lightning called, slamming the door behind her and placing her keys in an empty fruit bowl.

No one answered, but the hum of voices she heard outside poured out of the kitchen and into her hallway. _Voices_, she thought with dismay. Had Serah arranged a gathering that she'd forgotten about?

'I don't get it, she should be here by- Lightning! You're home, finally.' Serah beamed, grabbing Lightning by the elbow and ushering her into the kitchen.

Most of the usual suspects were dotted around her kitchen; Snow, Vanille, Fang, the NORA crew. All of which had helped themselves to her fridge, by the looks of it, as the girls all had glasses of wine.

'You've got brilliant taste in vino, Light.' Fang grinned, raising her glass to Lightning before tipping the whole of its contents down her throat.

'We'll replace anything we've drank, honestly.' Vanille winced, as Lightning shot an icy stare at the rest of the table. 'And, uh… ate.'

'Am I missing something here?' Lightning asked, cutting to the chase. 'There better be a good reason you've all invaded my house.'

With a hint of unease, Serah looked to Snow, who punched a fist into his palm, 'We're all going out tonight.'

'No.' Lightning deadpanned, crossing her arms to show her disapproval.

The complete lack of a disappointed reaction from the group made it clear that they expected such as answer, and one by one they each listed reasons why she should join them. Amongst some of the reasons was the fact she had apparently missed the birthdays of the entire NORA crew, who she didn't even _class_ as her friends. Fang called her an unyielding, uptight bore, and Vanille just simply said she missed her company.

And whilst their points were certainly stirring one way or another, Lightning just wanted a quiet Friday night in-

'And if you come Fang promises to clean the entire house.' Serah added.

'Hey!' Fang choked, almost falling backwards from her reclining position. 'We never agreed that!'

'Deal,' Lightning smirked, 'she can start with the kitchen.'

The group left within the hour, making a beeline for one of NORA's other haunts, when they weren't at Lebreau's own place. The bar was a trendy place that was further inland than Lebreau's, it preferred a black and white colour scheme, which only reminded Lightning of a mental institution.

'Just so you know, I'm not cleaning your bloody house.' Fang said as they trailed in last.

A smile tugged at the corner of Lightning's lips, 'Oh but you are, that was the agreement for me being here. I might even find a maid's outfit for you.'

Fang snorted, 'Yeah, an agreement I wasn't part of… I didn't think you were into the whole dress-up thing.'

The soldier rolled her eyes, placing an order for a bottle of rosé wine, leaving Fang at the counter to deliberate over a cocktail list. It wasn't hard to spot where they were sitting, as Gadot had managed to secure three small tables that Yuj and Maqui were helping to drag together to form a single place to sit. She was about to give them a hand, when Lebreau simply laughed.

'Sit yourself down, Lightning. These three have got it covered.'

'Gee, thanks.' Yuj uttered, sitting beside the barmaid.

Once everyone had settled down in their seats, it was the NORA team that kicked off the conversation, aiming their attentions at Maqui.

'So, Maqui,' Gadot grinned, 'how many times are you gonna get slapped by girls tonight? Honestly, the little guy is hopeless.'

'I am not. They just don't know what they're missing!' Maqui blushed, sliding further down into his seat.

Yuj patted his poor friend on the back. 'You just need a good chat up line, like… uh.'

'A girl like you is rarer than a Trapezohedron.' Snow filled in, but only Serah seemed to find it sweet.

The two Pulsians laughed, and Vanille perked up, 'I can _l'Cie_ you in my pants later.'

Then Fang, 'I might not be a l'Cie anymore but I'm still a good Ravager.'

The two had elicited a few smiles, and chortles, setting the pace for the rest of the night's conversation.

'What's your favourite paradigm shift?' Snow said, 'Because mine's _Infiltration ._'

'_Relentless Assault._' Serah piped in, making Lightning's ears burn at the thoughts of her younger sister and Snow.

'_Divide and Conquer.'_

'_Dirty Fighting.'_

'We really did have some fun naming our different battle forms.' Snow chuckled, wiping away a few tears with his gloved hand.

All the while Lightning only listened, enjoying the banter with a coy smile on her face. It was moments like these that made the difference between a good day and a bad one, and for once, Lightning was pleased she came. Not that she would admit it, of course.

The pick-up lines meant nothing to the NORA crew, who one by one slipped off to the dance floor, the toilets, or back to the bar.

'We'll have a quick timeout and then we'll have a bit more fun. Drinking game anyone?' Snow said, waving a pack of cards from one of his pockets.

To Lightning's right, Fang slurped at the remains of her cocktail, looking more than pleased with herself.

'What're you grinning about?' Lightning asked, pouring a third glass of rosé.

'What _ever _do you mean?'

'You've got that look on your face that only spells trouble.'

Fang licked her lower lip and proceeded to bite it in an attempt to keep a straight face.

'It's nothing really,' Fang dismissed. And yet she was still smiling. The Pulsian must have felt Lightning's stare as she then cleared her throat.

'Hey, uh, Light, want me to show you how I write the Pulsian alphabet with my tongue?'

Lightning's eyebrow quirked with intrigue, 'What?'

'Maybe you could show me the Cocoon alphabet.' Fang continued.

'But you already know the Cocoon alphabet.'

Fang winked at her, and Lightning just knew she was missing something.

'I'm gonna get another drink. Why don't you think over that one?' Fang smirked, leaving the table.

_Pulsian alphabet? _Lightning reiterated over and over in her head. She didn't want to admit it, but Fang had her baffled with that one. Within the privacy of her closed mouth, Lightning tried tracing the Pulsian letters that were engraved on her gunblade. Still nothing.

'Well?' Fang said expectantly, placing the same type of cocktail she had before on a beermat.

'I still don't get it.' Lightning frowned.

'Yeah, you probably would've hit me otherwise.'

'Are you going to tell me? Because I'm sure Vanille, or even Snow could tell me if I asked them.'

'Hey work it out yourself, besides I don't want anyone stealing my lines.'

'Lines? As in chat-up lines… like before?' Lightning pressed on. She folded her arms and looked expectantly at Fang, who looked uncomfortable.

'Uh, maybe.'

A flutter of excitement in her stomach should not have followed, but it did, causing Lightning to sit up straighter. She tapped at the glass in her hands anxiously, staring straight into the wine, before taking a large gulp.

'I see,' Lightning could only stutter out.

Sensing a tension, Fang stood up and gathered a few of the empty glasses that had accumulated across their three tables. She looked at Lightning's wine bottle, leaving it as it was still a quarter full.

'I'm gonna get another drink… something stronger.' She uttered, but Lightning heard it nonetheless.

From across the table was Vanille, who was sat with an innocent, but not so innocent smile on her face. She had already been looking at Lightning when their eyes met.

'Having fun, Light?' She asked, her eyebrows moving up once as she cocked her head to the side.

Lightning merely forced a smile, instantly taking a drink. _She was listening the entire time._

A new bottle of wine slid into view, and a small breeze that rushed by the back of her neck let her know that Fang was back. The huntress had also bought a drink for Vanille and Serah, as well her for herself.

'You scoped the place yet?' Fang asked Vanille, who nodded with a cheeky grin. 'And do you plan to be showing your vast knowledge of _paradigms shifts_ with any of these lovely people?'

'There is one guy over by the bar who is kinda cute.'

Even though she was caught between the exchange, it was interesting to watch the two.

'Well just let me know if you're coming home, or whatever.' Fang said, leaning over to ruffle Vanille's hair.

Was Fang really going to let Vanille go off like that? Lightning wouldn't dream of having this sort of conversation with Serah.

'Yeah, I will don't worry.' Vanille sighed, sounding like an over lectured child.

When she had left, Lightning spared a glance at Fang who was already looking at her.

'Because she's not a child.' Fang explained, without Lightning even opening her mouth.

'I hope you don't think I'm drinking all of this, Fang.' She said, gesturing to the full wine bottle, but she opened it anyway.

Their drinks flowed faster than the blood in Lightning's veins, which impressed her as her heart was pounding in time to the upbeat music in the background. She could feel the alcohol hot in her bloodstream; she knew she was slightly intoxicated, as her reactions felt delayed. But what made her feel the most cautious was Fang's presence. Fang's eyes, though glazed, looked at her intensely, as if she was the only thing that could hold her attention.

'Hey Light, Fang, we're gonna head off now, you two coming?' Snow called out.

Both Lightning and Fang jumped up, gathering their jackets as they followed Snow and Serah out of the building. The fresh air was a welcomed friend, as Lightning fought to keep her head clear.

'You should have joined us on the dance floor,' Serah said. 'As much as I like Maqui, his attempts at trying to pull someone were really funny.'

'Mhm…' Lightning replied lazily.

It had been a long day for her, and she was excited to finally be getting the well-deserved sleep she'd been waiting for since finishing work. And thankfully, the way they were walking meant that she would be first home.

'See you later, sis.' Serah waved with her free hand, as Lightning made her way down the path to her front door.

The soldier spared a glance, seeing Serah and Snow holding hands, with Fang a few cautious steps behind them.

'Hey, Fang. I just remembered something.' Lightning called out.

Fang and the happy couple both turned their heads, but with a few quiet words from the huntress, Serah and Snow carried on as Fang jogged back.

'Yeah?'

'You were going to show me this alphabet thing.'

Fang blinked twice, sticking her neck out as if she'd misheard. 'You, you want me to…?'

She blamed the alcohol for Fang's sudden stupidity, and her own sudden confidence boost, as she grabbed Fang's hand and pulled her forward. The soldier moved backwards, leading Fang to the porch until her back hit the wall and Fang was towering above her.

'I worked out what you meant,' Lightning muttered into Fang's ear, before going in for the kill.

Their collision was clumsy at first, as both Lightning and Fang had went for each other's lips the second Lightning had finished speaking. They both drew back; inhaling deeply as they looked into each other's lust filled eyes, and reclosed the gap. As if their minds were synchronised, they both hungrily sought out the other's tongue, simultaneously letting out a pleasurable hum as they met in a heated dance.

'And that's what you meant about writing the Pulsian alphabet with your tongue, right?' Lightning panted, resting herself on the wall, with her hand tangled in Fang's wild hair.

A low, husky laugh escaped from the huntress, who leaned into Lightning, kissing the soft spot below her ear.

'No, that was the Cocoon alphabet, there's a difference.'

'A difference?' Lightning repeated, but she could already guess the answer.

'The Pulsian way is a lot like the Cocoon way,' Fang paused, pushing her leg between Lightning's thighs. 'Just… down under.'

Fumbling for her keys, Lightning couldn't find the right one quick enough. As she pulled Fang in after her, capturing the woman's lips once more, Fang suddenly held her at arm's length.

'This better mean I'm exempt from cleaning your bloody house.' She purred.

And she was.

Lightning had other uses for her.

* * *

**A/N: Couldn't get this out of my head. Naughty me. **

**Please point out any mistakes. :)**


End file.
